ARCANE ANIMAL ARTISTRY

   Going back to my childhood roots, "The Blue Wolf Moon" was born from my love of wolves since a young age.

   The vibrant color blue, not seen in mammalian coats, represents the dream-like quality of wild animals.

   They are fellow beings of Earth, but very few get to be hands on with such beautiful creatures. They are present, but just out of reach. Stunning wild animals that demand respect for their existence, just as much as love.

   When we gaze upon the bright full moon, do we not think of the Wolf? 😌

   "The Golden Tiger Sun" emerged from my love and fascination with tigers since I was a child.

   From the lovable bouncy Tigger to the charming and dangerous Shere Khan, I could never get enough of these bold and beautiful big cats! Lions and Tigers are neck and neck when it comes to a favorite, but those alluring stripes get me every time if I have to choose.

   Gold and purple are a favorite color combination of mine and I could not get the image of a golden tiger with radiant purple stripes out of my head! Since this was to be a companion piece to "The Blue Wolf Moon", and it just naturally seemed to make sense, the Tiger is the Sun to the Wolf's Moon.

   The first time I ever saw the last known footage of a thylacine, I was immediately in love! And heartbroken... As a child, it was hard to understand that a species could be extinct. Especially one that felt so alive in a moving picture.

It made sense that dinosaurs were no longer around - they were huge and otherworldly. They truly belonged to another time.

But there he was - the last thylacine - pacing that terrible enclosure; his stripes bold, his eyes searching, his life...lost.

The thylacine should have still been with us today. It's a tragic loss.

Even though I may never get to see one of these beautiful souls in person (fingers crossed science can bring them back), I still love them deeply.

If you know me, then you know my love for hamsters. These sweet little, nuggety, squishy, pocket potatoes are as cute as a button! I knew I'd end up painting one of them someday, I just didn't know it was going to be so whimsical! 😆

I have my friend Tazzy to thank for this one - we were streaming together and I ended up doodling a tiny blobby hamster with pantaloons and long legs! We laughed so hard. I knew right away I was going to take it to the next level.

You would think drawing or illustrating a hamster would be easy - but nooooo. It took many attempts and long hard looks at reference images to get the face just right. The easiest part of the whole illustration were the pants, legs, and boots!

At least now I feel I have a better grasp on hamster anatomy and plan on drawing quite a few more in the future. 🐹

   Unicorns are my all time favorite mythical creature ever since I was a kid. Unicorns were on my school folders, in the shape of stickers on my dresser mirror, framed on the wall, in plushie format on my bed, and definitely being doodled in the margins of my school work. All the time.

If I could grow up to be anything?

It'd be a Unicorn. 🦄

This design has inspiration decades in the making. I was always fascinated with the old Unicorn tapestries and stories. It intrigued me that the British Royal crest featured a unicorn in golden chains and a hold crown around its neck. I loved seeing medieval interpretations of this magical creature. The lore wa spellbinding!

I knew for this illustration I wanted to go with a classic rearing beauty, mane flowing in the wind, and nice long feathered fetlocks.